1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to collapsible luggage. More specifically, the present invention relates to a collapsible utility bag capable of fitting in a gym locker or under an airplane seat. The present invention further includes a shelf or divider.
2. Description of the Prior Art (Point Out Disadvantages of Prior Art)
Bags and suitcases are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. Bags sized to fit in a gym locker or under an airplane seat are well known in the art. Also described in the prior art are various methods to make a suitcase collapsible for convenient and less expensive shipping, or storage in less space. Various luggage or bags with dividers or shelves are also well known.
Collapsible luggage is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,329 to Kaneko. This conventionally collapsible luggage has a pocket on the lower part of each side walls. The pocket accepts the lower end of a removable hard side reinforcing insert. The upper ends of the removable side reinforcing inserts are fixed to the upper part of the side walls by other fastening means, for example hook and loop fasteners. There is a hard bottom board and a ceiling board. The soft sides and front and rear faces may be folded up for storage when the hard side reinforcing inserts are removed. The disadvantage of Kaneko's invention, with a single side pocket design, is that the hook and loop fastener can become easily dislodged. The luggage would then unexpectedly collapse during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,008 (reissued as Re. 34,361) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,802 (a continuation in part of the preceding referenced '008 patent) to Pratt describe a utility bag sized to fit into an athletic locker or under the seat of an airplane. The bag has transversely positioned generally rectangular rigid frame members that are fixed in position. A fabric door is attached along a vertical side wall edge. A folding generally rigid divider panel is provided. Neither the bag nor the bag frame are collapsible. Furthermore, the attachment of the door along a vertical side wall edge is disadvantages. When the bag is located towards the rear of a gym locker, it is difficult to fully open the fabric door for full access to the interior of the bag. Also, fully opening the fabric door will block access to a neighboring side locker.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,664 to Shyr describes a collapsible utility bag with a hinged door and a plurality of shelves. The intermediary shelves are removable and are supported by a flexible suspension structure. A rigid bottom shelf is disposed along the bottom wall of the bag, permanently attached at the rearward frame member by a hinge attachment and reversibly attached to the forward frame member. To collapse the bag, the bottom shelf is rotated upwardly along the hinge attachment. The flexible side walls are supported by a pair of opposed, generally rectangular rigid frame members. The attachment of the bottom shelf at the opposed frame members imparts the rigidity to the bag. The disadvantage of these frame members is that they must either be thick and therefore heavy and bulky, or if thin, are predisposed to bending or breakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,526 (a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,662) to Jacober discloses a self supporting, selectively collapsible soft walled carrier. The carrier is made of a plurality of pliable panels. The panel construction is described as an inner and an outer web layer having overlying peripheral edges and a resilient foam sheet layer intermediate the inner and outer layers. A foam sheet of between ¼ inch to 1¼ inches is described. The resilient pliable top and bottom panels include an intermediate fold line which permits each of these panels to be folded inwardly, permitting the sidewalls of the carrier to be brought together into a collapsed condition. A removable resilient pliable end panel insert is further provided for additional support. The other panels are not removable. A shelf member is also described. There are several disadvantages to this design. When collapsed, the folded top and bottom panels, combined with the side panels, result in a thickness of foam of at least one inch, up to five inches. Furthermore, pliable foam panels are not very rigid, and repeated folding of the top and bottom panels in likely to result in premature wear of this bag.